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I'm a royalist, even though it seems the royal family seems to contribute nothing to New Zealand, nor in fact the lives of Kiwis. But the royal family deos have an almost hidden, yet important, part to play, which money can never replace: Stability and balance.

Historically, most countries who have got rid of royalty in order to be fully democratic have been embroiled in civil war before any form of stability is reached and it's something I genuinely fear in this country.

I hear countless voices shouting it could never happen here, but really? Who would select who would initially lead us? European New Zealanders will dilly-dally and want a top businessman with lots of money in charge; Maori will want to have their leader in charge; Greens will want an extreme left-winger to guide us through to protect the environment; other races' calls will never be heard as media won't publish their views, and so on.

It'll cause so much division and distrust that the monarchy is not worth tossing out for the sake of Kiwis' so-called democracy which, I might add, already exists. Why fix something that isn't broken, however fallible it may appear to some?